Insulted
by silveririses
Summary: "When someone first meets you, they don't like you. But when they get to know you better-" Hermione paused for effect, "-they hate you." One-shot. DM/HG.


. . .

"I have no enemies." Hermione chanted to herself under her breath; she had just seen Draco Malfoy approaching the lift. There was no escape.

"Is that even possible?" Draco appeared beside her.

The metal doors clanged shut.

They were in a cage.

Hermione brushed him off. "I'm busy now. Can I ignore you some other time?"

"Aw, don't turn the other cheek." Draco sneered, "It's just as ugly."

Hermione scoffed, "Sorry, but you've obviously mistaken me for someone who gives a damn."

"Oh." Draco winced. "You know, there are several people in this world that I find obnoxious. And you are all of them."

"Then why are you following me?"

Draco frowned. He was going up. "This is what I do everyday."

Hermione shook her head in disgust, misunderstanding. "Really! You're living proof that man can live without a brain."

"Pity, there's no vaccine against stupidity**."**

Hermione stopped dead, "You just insulted yourself."

Draco smirked, "Did I?"

Hermione ignored him. "Tell me, as an outsider, what do you think of the human race?"

"Tell me, as a mudblood, what do you think of filth like yourself?"

Hermione sighed, "I'll never forget the first time we met." She turned to him sharply, "Although I'll keep trying."

"Aw, don't hate."

"You're the kind of person that, when someone first meets you, they don't _like_ you. But when they get to know you better--" Hermione paused for effect, "--they _hate_ you."

"I thought you didn't have enemies."

"But what's my opinion compared to thousands of others? If we were to kill everybody who hates you, it wouldn't be murder--" she nodded knowingly, "It would be genocide."

"You must have a low opinion of people if you think they're your equals." Draco cocked his head, "But then again, I can't say that you have absolutely nothing. After all, you have _inferiority_."

Hermione scowled at him, but Draco continued.

"If you don't want to give people a bad name, you will have your children illegitimately."

"Seriously, that's the best you have? Your parents must have _begged_ you to run away from home."

A shadow crossed Draco's face.

Then suddenly there was a loud clanking noise as the lift came to a halt. The lights flickered for a moment and-- they were off.

Hermione's stomach dropped.

The elevator was falling, fast.

The was a loud whoosh as the air rose up from underneath them and Hermione could herself lifting off the ground. She quickly grabbed Draco, whose his feet were placed firmly on the floor.

When the lift came to a stop, they both came crashing down.

. . .

A voice came out of the darkness, "This is impossible. The lifts are powered by magic."

"Exactly."

"Are you saying that magic _did_ this?"

There was a pause.

"What level are we on?"

"Nine."

For a split second, unknown to both of them, they looked directly at each other in the pitch black.

"Department of Mysteries." They both said at the same time.

"What do we do now?"

There was a scraping sound as one of them tried to pry the open doors.

"They won't open."

"Alohomora!"

"Lumos!"

Nothing happened.

"I don't think magic is working."

"Obvious, much?"

The was the sound of a match being stuck and Hermione was surprised to see Draco holding a muggle item.

Draco shrugged it off, "For emergencies."

Hermione shot him a suspicious look, but Draco didn't notice it. He was too busy looking at the ceiling.

Hermione sighed, "What now?"

"I'm claustrophobic."

"Then why the hell are you in a lift?!"

Draco intoned, as if reciting from his own internal monologue, "Lifts are not dangerous. They are very useful in getting where you want to go, only faster."

Hermione groaned, "And I thought you _should _be getting therapy."

Draco was silent for a moment.

He couldn't stand it.

"There's no ventilation. We're going to suffocate."

"Calm down."

"No one knows we're in here. And the lift is powered by magic-- there's no escape hatch and there's no button to call for help. We're trapped!"

Hermione shushed him. "We're not trapped, we're just-- stuck."

"That's worse!"

"It's okay, genius. Someone will realize when the elevator never comes back up."

"Granger? We were going home. There _is_ nobody out there." Draco shivered involuntarily. "We'll run out of air-- suffocate!"

"So, Wizards have yet to find a cure to claustrophobia?"

"It's neurological. And they don't like to mess with the brain."

"Uh-huh. Explains why they didn't fix yours."

The match flickered.

Hermione looked at Draco's face, "Are you okay?"

Draco struggled to clear his mind. His vision blurred and the lights flashed momentarily. All the blood rushed up to his head and Draco could feel himself become faint.

Hermione panicked when he started breathing heavily and tilting to one side. She rushed to catch him before he fell.

Draco looked up to the top of the elevator, hoping to see sky. It was the last thing he saw before everything went black.

. . .

Hermione fell backwards, trying to support his weight. She rested his head on her lap.

"Shit."

When he had blacked out, so did the light. Hermione searched his pockets for another match. There was one left.

Hermione lit one and held it up to Draco's face. He looked extra pale. Hermione put her hand to his forehead, he was burning up.

Hermione held him closer, hoping some of her body warmth would transfer to him.

She thought about what she had said: "I have no enemies."

Only now did she believe that she actually spoke the truth.

. . .

They woke up, faces inches away from each other.

Hermione lay on top of Draco, and found herself unconciously staring at his lips. Draco found himself trying not to hyperventilate.

"AHHHHHHHH!" They both screamed, jumping back.

The elevator was moving up.

Harry strolled in, as if nothing has ever happened. Draco and Hermione exchanged surprised glances.

Harry noticed them, "Were you two here _all night_?"

Hermione's breathing faltered and she answered a little too quickly, "No. We just got here."

Harry skeptically looked them up and down, "Sure."

The metal bars clanged and they almost closed.

Hermione screamed, "No! Wait!"

Harry frowned, "This isn't your floor."

Draco replied monotonously, "I'd rather take the stairs."

Harry shrugged as he let them out.

The doors shut behind them.

"I'm never going in there again." Hermione turned to face Draco.

"Agreed."

. . .


End file.
